1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a print control apparatus which communicates with a data processing apparatus (information processing apparatus) and an image forming apparatus (printing apparatus) to control print processing, a printing system, a method for controlling a print control apparatus, and a storage medium.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventionally known systems, an image forming apparatus with a print control apparatus has been terminated by manually performing end processing on both the print control apparatus and the image forming apparatus so that the apparatuses individually perform shutdown processing. Depending on the system of the print control apparatus, the image forming apparatus may need to be powered on in the meantime.
In such systems, the power supply of the print control apparatus is interlocked with the power supply system of the image forming apparatus so that when the end processing of the image forming apparatus is manually performed, the print control apparatus is also terminated in a synchronous manner. If the image forming apparatus powers off the print control apparatus in a synchronous manner without checking the state of the print control apparatus, the print control apparatus may still be accessing a hard disk. This can cause a failure of the hard disk.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-36318 discusses a method that can solve the foregoing problem. According to the method, in a system where power supplies are terminated in a synchronous manner, an apparatus checks the status of access to a hard disk by another apparatus and performs end processing on the power supplies in a synchronous manner only if no hard disk access is being made. A system has also been provided where an image forming apparatus is terminated not by manual end processing but by a remote end from another data processing apparatus on a network.
Problems of a printing system in which a print control apparatus and an image forming apparatus are connected to each other and the print control apparatus communicates with a data processing apparatus through a network will be described below with reference to sequence examples illustrated in FIGS. 13 and 14. Steps S1301 and S1401 to S1403 represent notifications or instructions.
As illustrated in the sequence example of FIG. 13, a problem can occur when a data processing apparatus (information processing apparatus) 211 performs a remote end of the system of an image forming apparatus (i.e., printing apparatus) 207 to which a print control apparatus 201 is connected. In step S1301, the data processing apparatus 211 issues a remote end instruction. In such a system, the remote end instruction can only power off the print control apparatus 201, failing to simultaneously power off the image forming apparatus 207.
When a power supply state of the image forming apparatus 207 is changed, the power supply state of the image forming apparatus 207 needs to be notified to the data processing apparatus 211 on a local area network (LAN).
As illustrated in the sequence example of FIG. 14, in step S1401, the print control apparatus 201 receives a power supply state notification from the image forming apparatus 207. In step S1402, the print control apparatus 201 transfers the power supply state notification (step S1401) to the data processing apparatus 211.
When the print control apparatus 201 is powered off, in step S1403, the image forming apparatus 207 then transmits a power supply state notification. The print control apparatus 201 cannot receive or transfer the power supply state notification to the data processing apparatus 211. This leads to a problem that the data processing apparatus 211 cannot properly manage the power supply state of the image forming apparatus 207.
The foregoing two problems also occur when the image forming apparatus 207 and the connected print control apparatus 201 both perform a remote end in a synchronous manner according to a remote end instruction from the data processing apparatus 211.